[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6308801,"mediaKeyId","2418263-574aaac7d8b30158d8a0bab53e1416d6","parentId",2418263,"title","New Broward tax collector outlines plan to take over some driver-licensing services, highlights $6.7 billion in collections","audioSeconds",344,"startMs",5110515,"endMs",5454845,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2418263-574aaac7d8b30158d8a0bab53e1416d6&start=5110&end=5454","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2418263-574aaac7d8b30158d8a0bab53e1416d6/thumbnail_5110515.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6308801/Broward-County/Florida/New-Broward-tax-collector-outlines-plan-to-take-over-some-driver-licensing-services-highlights-67-billion-in-collections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308801-9a0c0672c0329e645addab031d04e730/orig.mp4?Expires=1771212183&Signature=Dmmi-M3ExdORrvbfQt9Yx160YDoLqFRVM0mAWYmYwT4REdwXFjLOTltZi8hxA838v3CgSmONSz1gEdKZ~mnhigIv7SBX0ymYa-ZOjkmEXimyfEOUQVQo5seSa1J8AFXxCa6VWRHgD~j7xniqLwCNphOdqm3N6N9Sn7CsFq6xP~dIOG45xIp78e2rn2CMGtD1wR5zlXTBMzrhWB6BmJ-S4q7Liwav4avRYfml7ZVOYHAeLh7YJth3QeUDeeKZjJ5r1QBVHe9XcYlh4~7t-gWrd-h1gbdfE0W7-d9IRFZsJVAYGDK8FB~MaMTNoqM7Klrx3RiNZl6f0Gi-~Q6fvIsKrw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Broward County, FL","date","2025-02-26T08:04:47Z","article","Abi Ojai, Broward County's newly elected tax collector, told the county delegation that her office will assume some driver-licensing functions from the state and is preparing staffing and outreach plans to reduce long waits at local license offices.

\"This is an important change because it allowed voters to have better control and accountability in managing crucial services across the county,\" Ojai said of Amendment 10, which made the tax collector an elected constitutional officer in Broward County. She told the room the tax-collector office collected about $6.7 billion last year on behalf of county taxing authorities and that the office provides many ancillary services such as hunting and fishing licenses, tag and title renewals and TSA PreCheck enrollment.

Ojai said the office is meeting with state DMV representatives and expects to set a timeline soon; she told the delegation her team hopes to take over at least one driver's-license office by the end of the year and that a meeting was scheduled with state staff the following day. She said the tax-collector office is building a community-engagement unit and hiring staff to handle the added workload.

The tax collector asked commissioners and legislators to help distribute a one-page description of services to city e-blasts and constituent communication channels. She provided a public contact email (revenue@browardtax.org) and a phone number (954-357-4829) for constituent referrals and payment-assistance questions.

Delegation members welcomed the plan and offered to help coordinate with municipal communication channels. Ojai said the office will provide details on payment plans and veteran tax exemptions and emphasized the office's role in reconciling and distributing property-tax collections to taxing authorities.

No formal action was taken at the meeting; Ojai and delegation members said they would hold follow-up sessions to coordinate the DMV transition and outreach to residents.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Legislative Delegation Workshop","oneSentenceSummary","Broward County's newly elected tax collector, Abi Ojai, told the delegation her office will take on state driver's-license functions, expand community reach, and emphasized the office collected $6.7 billion for taxing authorities last year.","taxTitle","Broward County, Florida","taxId",2871,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6308806,"Broward sheriff urges funding for AI pilots, dispatch recognition and ICAC after delegation briefing",2236,2937490,5173870,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2418263-574aaac7d8b30158d8a0bab53e1416d6&start=2937&end=5173","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2418263-574aaac7d8b30158d8a0bab53e1416d6/thumbnail_2937490.jpg","/articles/6308806/Broward-County/Florida/Broward-sheriff-urges-funding-for-AI-pilots-dispatch-recognition-and-ICAC-after-delegation-briefing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308806-551d433b5ac19cd12f5e595d2376de04/orig.mp4?Expires=1771212183&Signature=d3BHQc3T3QJfyHVEOIW1zIGPRyVm2~UmbwXqdbJBaNifxBQo2fP8agxJBxSTyEgQf7JxeO1C0cxhCYguzubxvN3xStYUBf4nOPrysaLo~ukO36CNwJE2VlbNftrx-hJdGawJ-PHOao7iUfSX4zC-qELaSkws0Vp-IHg5aigJrcHkifzHV~R5dlq7CKjZ-TUeacfl7apNDQqnzELaMXZu4Nl7DhYakgJcKiAKo0NGLqmn9w0F55BwOVyS~ApPA6VtnJevQ6s66hgh0Cxow25fRY~ZKeW5O04C9Nja0OY5bhSEg2uzhG1mm6DWtlrx621-M87L~hZZTEH8V2Vypzv88g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony told the county\relegation that the sheriff's office needs new tools, dedicated funding and higher pay to keep pace with demand and protect children and frontline staff.

Tony asked lawmakers and county leaders to back a 90-day pilot that would test artificial intelligence tools in the county's dispatch operation and to support policy changes that would recognize 9-1-1 telecommunicators as first responders. \"They deserve the same benefits,\" Tony said, arguing that dispatchers who answer tens of thousands of calls annually face traumatic and stressful work and should receive equivalent recognition and support.

Tony described the sheriff's office as the largest operating dispatch service in the state and said roughly 600,000 calls a year are nonemergency or informational in nature. He said the county jail costs roughly $350 million a year to operate and that the office's overall operating budget is large but that existing infrastructure and staffing constraints limit upgrades. Tony said the office intends to run a comprehensive AI pilot to identify efficiencies in dispatch and, longer-term, in jail operations and crime-lab work.

Tony also asked for continued and permanent funding for the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, calling online child exploitation \"one of the worst criminals that face on the face of the planet\" and saying those investigators should not face funding uncertainty.

On juvenile-justice staffing and the presence of an armed officer at a juvenile assessment center, Tony said the office had notified the Department of Juvenile Justice it could no longer supply off-duty deputies for that role because of shortfalls in jail staffing and court support duties. He said the sheriff's office had been granted additional county funds last budget cycle but still faced vacancies, particularly in detention positions, and had redirected personnel where they were most needed.

On the state\u000federal immigration program 287(g) and related task-force proposals, Tony told the delegation his office would comply with the law but would not \"go overzealous\" or convert the sheriff's office into an ICE agency. He said the county historically averaged only a small number of cases tied to that warrant-service program and that any expansion of immigration-focused task forces would be considered carefully.

Tony described other county public-safety projects that have received legislative support, including DNA crime-lab investment that helped the sheriff's cold-case unit resolve long-standing cases, and a recently opened $75 million training center he said has been called among the best in the country. He said his office has hired roughly 700 deputies during his tenure but has also lost staff to other counties and faces continuing salary and recruitment pressures.

Lawmakers and commissioners asked about staffing, the juvenile-assessment center, ShotSpotter deployments and funding models for dispatch recognition. Tony urged continued coordination with county and state leaders and said he would provide data and pilot results to delegation members for follow-up.

The meeting produced no formal vote on sheriff requests; delegates and county staff said they would schedule follow-up briefings and requested the sheriff's office share metrics from the AI pilot and the Pompano ShotSpotter evaluation data the office has collected.","Sheriff Gregory Tony asked the delegation for support on implementing AI pilots for dispatch, designating 9-1-1 telecommunicators as first responders, securing permanent funding for Internet Crimes Against Children work, and addressing staffing and salary shortages across the sheriff's office.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6308810,"Broward leaders press state delegation to protect affordable housing, shore up eviction-prevention programs",547,993563,1541045,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2418263-574aaac7d8b30158d8a0bab53e1416d6&start=993&end=1541","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2418263-574aaac7d8b30158d8a0bab53e1416d6/thumbnail_993563.jpg","/articles/6308810/Broward-County/Florida/Broward-leaders-press-state-delegation-to-protect-affordable-housing-shore-up-eviction-prevention-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308810-0426694dff9facde270240a63c119e60/orig.mp4?Expires=1771212183&Signature=ZSj2DvI8BljUaiDlyv35PSUUghXFalRrMZShD9fiXwyI~PvyuBvyPxMWHzjfrx-LZL7dlKmf-g8mitd5ZH20LsBrNg8YjrG0P9bDa2V7AOhkNuW5EA6GbqvjLlusN6RCiqHTs4G~j3UV9xuJVTLLk7XqJ4swntIH7PJZoMLCcrUUTQBrEcjB-o-BxlElbJD2U7LWlHLCCZBS~gOHWlMLdmsLg7l5mhhzxgcHkWudw5FFKdtgX0E5vrZo0sMCqFHHi7IZBZ0iw1cQdsyjOgoo9v7xGrTfUHo-4HabtFgUu~ggDyKiFcexJvSi~6UXArtAgOW8LDmzJn9o5QeRhXxAlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Broward County and state lawmakers on Thursday prioritized affordable housing and homelessness as the top items in the county\relegation
genda and urged continued state support for local programs and funding safeguards.

The delegation and county commissioners said the county\u000faces ongoing shortages of permanent supportive housing and warned that potential state and federal budget actions could worsen the situation. \"Eviction prevention has become such an important part of our homeless program,\" said former state senator Nan Rich, who asked legislators to back county efforts that she said have \"saved over 600 families\" since the program began and have protected \"320 children\" in those households.

The discussion centered on several concrete concerns: the status of Sadowski Trust Fund dollars designated for affordable housing, possible reductions in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development staff and grants, and the county's own eviction-prevention efforts and legal-aid expansions. Rich and other speakers urged the delegation to track which local programs rely on federal versus state funding and to press for protections or new funding if federal HUD resources are cut.

Commissioner Hazel Rogers emphasized homeownership as a route to household wealth while urging the delegation not to lose sight of permanently affordable units amid new higher-density rental development. \"Homeownership wealth comes from owning properties,\" Rogers said, adding that county requests should include dedicated dollars for maintaining affordable homeownership and condo protections for seniors.

County staff and commission leaders described recent local measures supporting tenants and seniors: the county said it added another legal-aid team to its eviction-prevention program and is creating a team focused on senior housing cases. County officials also noted the addition of peer-support services and behavioral-health programming tied to housing stability.

The Broward Coordinating Council will run a virtual housing workshop series tied to the county
ffordable Housing Master Plan, officials said. The series is scheduled to run March 12 through Dec. 12, 2025, and will cover homelessness, ownership, condo issues and housing for special-needs populations, county staff said.

Speakers pressed the delegation to watch for state-level changes that could affect local revenues and housing programs, including proposals that would alter property-tax structures or repurpose trust funds. Lawmakers responded that they had narrowed the delegation
genda to items directly affecting the county and promised to follow up with county staff on specific funding and program questions.

The meeting did not include any formal votes on state legislation; commissioners and legislators said they would coordinate follow-up briefings in Tallahassee and requested further program-by-program funding breakdowns from county departments.

County and delegation staff said they would share more detailed program spreadsheets and that local offices would continue outreach to constituents and nonprofit partners to track potential funding disruptions.","County and state officials told the Broward legislative delegation that affordable housing and homelessness must remain top priorities, flagging Sadowski funds, HUD cuts and an eviction-prevention program that county officials say has kept more than 600 families housed.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

New Broward tax collector outlines plan to take over some driver-licensing services, highlights $6.7 billion in collections

Broward sheriff urges funding for AI pilots, dispatch recognition and ICAC after delegation briefing

Broward leaders press state delegation to protect affordable housing, shore up eviction-prevention programs